Cistern-cleaner.



No. 632,468. Patented Sept. 5, I899.

H. F. MUELLER.

GISTERN CLEANER.

(Application filed June 10, 1899.)

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Nrrnn STATES ClSTERN-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,468, datedSeptember 5, 1899.

Application filed June 10, 1899. Serial No. 720,102. (No model.)

To all whom, it Hwy concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented a new and useful Cistern-Oleaner, of which thefollowing is a specification. This in vention relates tocistern-cleaners of that class embodying a sediment catch-basin orreceptacle located within the cistern, and has for its object to providean improved catch-basin or receptacle which will collect and retain allthe sediment or foreign matter which may gain access to the interior ofthe cistern. The catch-basin is also arranged so the clean water maypass below the basin and remain out of contact with the sediment withinthe basin, and is furthermore provided with means for drawing off thesediment without disturbing or impairing the clean water.

To these ends the present invention consists in the combination andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shownin the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, it being understood that changes in the size,proportion, form, and the minor details of construction may be madewithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a cistern equippedwith the improved cleaner. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view takenon the line a: x of Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings are designated bylike characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a suitablefoundation, upon which is supported a tank or reservoir 2, having itsupper end open, so as to collect the rain-water, and provided with aremovable cover 3 to protect the contents of the cistern after the rainhas ceased to fall.

Located within the cistern and at the lower end thereof is a conical orfunnel-shaped catchbasin or receptacle 4, having the apex of the coneresting upon the bottom 5 of the cistern and the mouth of the basinextending upward and fitting snugly the interior of the tank orreservoir. Extending through the comparatively thick bottom of the tankis a discharge-pipe (3, which communicates with interior of thecatch'basin 4 and is provided with a branch pipe 7, extending laterallythrough the foundation 1 and provided with a valve 8, located exteriorlyof the foundation.

The upper peripheral edge of the catch-ba sin a is fluted or corrugated,as at 9, said flutes or corrugations extending entirely around the edgeof the basin. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that theoutwardlybent portions of the respective corrugations fit snugly againstthe inner walls of the tank, so that an annular series of separate anddistinct passages 10 are provided entirely around the mouth of thebasin. By reason of these annular passages the water which may draindownward upon the inner walls of the tank may pass through said passagesand discharge into the annular space 11, formed between the outer wallsof the basin 4 and the inner walls of the tank. These passages 10 arecomparatively small, so that the dirt or other matter which may fallinto the tank will not readily pass through said passages, but will bedirected into the catch-basin 4: by reason of its downwardly-convergentsides. Also as the level of the water within the catch-basin rises abovethe upper edge thereof the water may overflow through the passages 10and downward to the bottom of the tank. Thus it will be seen that theannular space about the catch-basin is utilized to contain the cleanwater, thereby maintaining the same out of contact with the sediment andforeign matter within the catch-basin. It is preferable to have thediameter of the tank increase downwardly, so that dirt, &c. may morereadily fall into the catch-basin and not collect upon the inner side ofthe tank. To prevent the discharge'pipe 6 from becoming clogged orstopped up'bystones or other comparatively large and hard articles, asuitable strainer 12' is provided within the catch-basin and issupported upon the inner walls thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the cleanestwater is maintained in the bottom of the tank and below the upper edgeof the catch-basin, and therefore the clean water is adapted to be drawnoff through a discharge-pipe 13, extending through one side of the tankand below the upper edge of the catch-basin.

This relative arrangement and construction of the catch-basin a, thesediment-discharge pipe 6, and the clean-water pipe 13 permits of theclean Water being drawn 0% without disturbing the sediment and mixingthe latter with the water and also permits of the sediment being drawnoff from its lowest point without agitating and causing the clean waterto become muddy. Furthermore, the space about the catch-basin, which isusually of no use, is herein employed to contain the clean water, andthe latter is drawn 01f below the surface thereof, and thereby insuringa perfectly clean supply of water; also, the corrugations at the upperedge of the catchbasin permit of the clean water overflowing to thebottom of the tank and prevents the dirt from passing outside of thecatch-basin, and thereby effectually protects the clean water from thedirt which may fall into the cistern.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The combination with a cistern tank or reservoir, ofa sediment catch-basin located within the tank or reservoir, andproviding an annular clean-wate space located below the catch-basin, andentirely cutoff from the interior thereof, and passages locatedexteriorly of the catch-basin, and communicating from above the latterto the clean-water space, a sediment discharge pipe communicating withthe bottom of the catch-basin,and a waterdischarge pipe communicatingwith the clean water space, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination with a cistern tank or reservoir, of a sedimentcatch-basin fitted snugly within the tank or reservoir, providing aspace below the basin, and having its upper edge fluted or corrugated,said flutes or corrugations providing passages communicating with thespace below the catch-basin, a sediment-discharge pipe communicatingwith the bottom of the catch-basin, and a water-discharge pipe locatedbelow the upper edge of the catch-basin, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

The combination with a cistern tank or 50 reservoir, of a conical orfunnel-shaped sediment catch-basin, having its apex resting upon thebottom of thetank or reservoir,'and its upper edge provided with flutesor corrugations and fitting snugly the inner walls of 55 the tank orreservoir, said flutes or corrugations providing exterior passagescommunieating with the space below the upper edge of the catch-basin, asediment-discharge pipe extending through the bottom of the tank orreservoir and communicating with the interior of the catch-basin,through the apex thereof, and a water-discharge pipe extending throughone side of the tank or reservoir and located below the upper edge ofthe catch-basin, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F. MUELLER.

\Vitnesses:

F. E. BISHOP, THos. .MILLER.

